Extinction 2038

by P. R. Garcia

  “She slept most of the flight,” Michael’s wife commented. “She can’t still be tired.” She walked around to see the child’s face. That’s when she noticed the bright red blood streak down Michael’s back and arm. In horror, she looked as blood flowed from Sally’s eyes, ears, and nose. “Someone call an ambulance,” she screamed.

  CONFIRMED CASUALTIES

  “Gayle, I didn’t want to ask you last night, but what did you do with the students’ bodies?” Dr. Q asked Gayle as delicately as he could. It was a hell of a way to start their conversation.

  “We didn’t know what to do with them,” came Professor Stevens voice, a rather big surprise.

  “Alex, what a wonderful surprise,” Professor Graves said. “Are you feeling any better?”

  “Not much, but I wanted to talk with the two of you,” Professor Stevens replied. “You have a hell of a gal here, Lachlan. I never would have gotten this far without her help.”

  “She is one in a million,” Dr. Q agreed.

  “As for our students, their bodies are currently piled in a back room,” Professor Stevens remarked. “We’ve cut the heat off to that section, and it gets very little sunlight. It stays around a constant 15F twenty-four/seven. We thought of burning the bodies, but we were afraid of the smoke carrying the disease across the continent and out to sea. Since this thing stayed dormant the entire time the Stevosaurus carcass was frozen, we figured that was a safe undertaking.”

  “I agree,” Dr. Q said.

  “Lachlan, I’m concerned about the Stevosaurus,” Professor Stevens said. “We didn’t have time to adequately cover up the cadaver. And after what happened when we got back, we didn’t dare chance going back out there. If the body becomes exposed again, it could thaw out even more. With its belly wide open, who knows what damage it can do. If you can determine that it’s okay to burn the remains, reduce what’s left to a fine layer of ash. Or, if that’s not an option, bury it so it will never be found again.” When he stopped talking, there was only silence. “Lachlan, can you do that?” Again, silence. “Are you still there? Did we lose the connection?”

  “No, we’re still here,” Dr. Q’s voice said.

  “I know it’s a great loss to Paleontology, but that thing must be destroyed,” Professor Stevens said. “Will you do it?”

  “Alex, I don’t know how to tell you this, so I’m just going to come right out and say it,” Professor Graves stated. “The Stevosaurus’ body is gone. Someone took it.”

  “What do you mean it's gone?” a very concerned professor asked.

  “Before coming to the Polar Station, Dr. Q and I flew out to the site to ascertain what had happened and to collect some samples. We found where you had buried the Stevosaurus under a tarp covered with snow, but when we got the tarp off, there was no body. Only an empty hole. We can only assume that someone snuck in and stole the cadaver.”

  “We never had time to cover the tarp with snow,” Professor Stevens announced. “Just a few buckets full.”

  “James said he thought he saw someone up in the mountains,” Professor Dilbert stated. “And there was that strange footprint we saw that morning of the accident.”

  “My gosh,” Professor Stevens shouted, fear clearly audible in his voice. “If someone took the carcass, they could spread that disease around the entire world. Humanity won’t have a chance.”

  Dr. Q looked at Professor Graves and nodded, signaling for him to tell the remainder of the news. “There’s a little more to the story, Alex. Several days after your contamination, a small freighter ran aground on one of the small islands west of Australia. The entire crew was found dead. They bled to death through every orifice of their body.”

  “And the Stevosaurus cadaver?”

  “No sign of it,” Professor Graves continued. “But before a thorough inspection was done, the bodies were burned and the boat sunk. If the Stevosaurus was on that ship, it’s now on the bottom of the ocean. I'm sorry.”

  “So everything has been for nothing,” Professor Stevens sighed. “Six brilliant students gave their lives for someone to steal our find and send it to the bottom of the sea.”

  “Sebastian, you said the Stevosaurus was not found, so it could still be somewhere,” Professor Dilbert said. “Have there been any more reports of ships crashing or crews dying.”

  “Not yet.”

  “Perhaps then the pathogens have run their course,” Professor Dilbert stated with hope in her voice. “Perhaps we are out of danger.”

  “Could we really be that lucky?” Professor Stevens softly asked.

  “We have to proceed as if the threat is still out there,” Dr. Q declared. He had little doubt that the pathogen had just begun its deadly rampage. “And the first thing we need to determine is if this thing is a virus or bacteria. I know this is asking a lot of you, Gayle, but I need for you to take tissue and blood samples from the students. You need to prepare specimen slides and examine them under a microscope. Take pictures and send them to us so we can see what this bastard looks like.”

  “I don’t know if I can do that,” Professor Dilbert replied, thinking of cutting into the six students’ bodies.

  “Even if she could, we have no video capability,” Professor Stevens announced.

  “We’re working on that,” Dr. Q said. “The Navy is refurbishing one of their laptops with a portable antenna. You should be able to get a video signal to us here at the Australian Station.”

  “And how are you going to get us the laptop?” Professor Stevens asked.

  “I’m still working on that part.”

  “Listen here, Lachlan. You get us that computer and I’ll go get the samples from the students. I won’t allow Gayle to do it. She’s been traumatized too much already. She can make the blood slides, and I’ll do the tissue ones. Together, we’ll get you your pictures. Just get us that computer.”

  The sound of things falling and a commotion could be heard over the speaker. The two men heard Gayle’s voice shout “Alex”, followed by more strange noises.

  “Gayle, what’s happened? Talk to me.”

  Finally, Gayle’s voice was heard again, but this time distant. “It’s Alex. He’s collapsed. And, Lachlan, he’s bleeding from both ears. I have to get him back to his bed.”

  “I’m sorry, Sweetheart,” Dr. Q said, but she did not hear him. The line was dead.

  ____________

  Dr. Q was awakened by a firm knock on the door. “Come in.” He hoped it was news on Professors Stevens and Dilbert.

  Ensign O’Neal poked his head in the door. “Excuse me, Dr. Quartermaine. I have a call for you. A Dr. Silvas is insisting that she talk to you right away.”

  It wasn’t Gayle, but it might be the next best thing. He hurried and pulled his pants on and grabbed a shirt and pair of socks. As he stepped out into the hallway, he suddenly realized how cold the floor was. Of course it was cold, you idiot, he told himself. They were in Antarctica. What did he expect? A toasty warm, heated floor?

  Upon entering the communications area, he saw Dr. Silvas’ image on the computer screen. She was talking to two assistants. Upon seeing the doctor, she ended her conversation. “Sorry to awaken you, Lachlan.”

  “As long as you have some good news, Maria, I don’t mind,” the doctor replied as he hurriedly pulled his socks over his freezing feet. To help with the cold, he lifted them off the floor and tucked them under his legs. “Please tell me they’ve identified the pathogen and you’re on your way.”

  “More on the package and my arrival in a moment. First, I have something to show you. I wouldn’t say it’s good news, but it’s hopefully significant.” She held up a picture of dead sharks.

  “And the reason I am looking at dead sharks?”

  “They’re the reason I’m not there where I should be,” Dr. Silvas explained. “Three days ago, along the southwest beach of Australia, outside of Perth, thirty-two great white sharks suddenly popped up in the water. Most were dead. Those that weren’t dead died with
in the hour. They bled to death, Lachlan. There was not a drop of blood left in their bodies.”

  “Just like the crew on that boat.”

  “But that’s not all. Within ten hours, every living creature that resided in those waters met the same demise: fish, mollusks, corals, invertebrates, even a few dolphins. Four hours later, birds began to fall out the sky, killed by whatever was in the dead fish they ate. And it didn’t stop there. By the next morning, there were mounds of dead mice, rats, cats, dogs, possum, raccoons. You name it. If it ate an infected dead animal, it too died.”

  “No people were infected?”

  “We caught a break there, so we thought. I was notified fifteen minutes ago that three cases of death have been reported. And the hospitals are quickly filling up with the sick, all with the same symptoms.”

  Forgetting about his cold feet, Lachlan jumped off his chair and came close to the computer screen. “Maria, you’ve got to quarantine the country. Close its borders. No one in or out of Australia. Stop all air and sea travel. If one person gets on a plane or a ship, there will be no stopping this.”

  “I quarantined the area the moment I got the report of thirty-two dead sharks floating in the water. People were none too happy. But I wasn’t fast enough. I did not receive the report about the sharks until eight hours after it happened. Twelve planes departed from Australia; ten from other regions and two from Perth.”

  “What were the destinations of the planes from Perth?”

  “New York City and Chicago.”

  “Not good locations. Were you able to stop the planes from unloading?”

  “We were too late in New York. There was a back-up in Chicago, so their arrival was delayed. We were able to intervene and keep those passengers confined to their plane. Currently, they are still sitting inside it in a giant plane hangar. CDC’s trying to figure out what to do with them. So far, no reports of bleeding, but several passengers are running fevers.”

  “Hopefully, they have colds, and that’s what’s causing the fevers. What are you doing about New York?”

  “CDC staff are tracking down every passenger on that plane and quarantining them too. If they made it home, their entire neighborhood is being shut down and blocked off. If they boarded another plane, that second plane will be quarantined until we can determine if the disease has spread. JFK is closed, and no one is allowed to leave.”

  “What about other forms of transportation?”

  “We thought we caught a break there because no cruise ships had left port. However, an Aussie Cruise liner was found floating aimlessly off Australia’s coast. She was on her way into Perth about the same time as the shark incident. A drone was sent in and took pictures of dead bodies covering the deck.”

  “But how were they exposed to the pathogen?” a confused Dr. Q asked. “Could it be airborne?”

  “That was our concern, Dr. Silva replied. “The bodies of dead seagulls covered the ship’s deck. It’s possible that the birds fed on the infected seafood and dropped down onto the cruise ship. Or they deposited their droppings. Either way, they are probably the culprits that infected the passengers. We can’t tell for sure because more birds came and fed on the dead humans, adding to the count of dead seabirds.”

  “What happened to the ship?” Dr. Q inquired.

  “After what happened along the coast, the authorities were afraid to sink the vessel. It’s still floating out there, a ship of dead bodies.” She paused for a moment while she read a bulletin just handed to her. A grave look shadowed her face. She sighed and stared at the computer screen. “We were too late, Lachlan. A ten-year-old girl was apparently scraped by one of the sharks in Perth. She was on that plane that landed in New York. She started bleeding out her ears shortly after her family’s arrival. They rushed her to the hospital, but she didn’t make it.”

  “How long did she succumb after being exposed?”

  “We estimate fourteen hours.”

  “Are any of the other family members showing signs of illness?”

  “The father died an hour after the daughter,” a sorrowful Dr. Silvas replied. “The mother and other daughter are listed in critical condition. Neither is expected to survive.”

  “Any passengers showing illness?”

  “Fifteen, at last count.”

  “Not good, not good,” Dr. Q said to himself, trying to determine the best course of action. “Maria, Susie’s aboard the U.S.S. Barack Obama. Can you get tissue samples of the Perth sharks to her? That’s her specialty – sharks.” He looked directly into the doctor’s eyes. “Sharks are impervious to most diseases, including some forms of cancer. They shouldn’t be dying.”

  “I know.”

  “I need samples of birds and invertebrates too. These animals all have different body types. The same disease should not be killing them all the same way. Diseases don’t cross every species, yet this one seems to be. There’s something I’m missing.”

  “I’ll see what I can do. This stuff is so lethal, it’s hard to find technicians who will go near it, let alone examine it.” She looked at him intently. “I have some more bad news, Lachlan. The plane carrying your samples never arrived at the WHO in Manila.”

  “Why not?” a concerned doctor asked.

  “We don’t know how, but the pilots contracted the disease,” Dr. Silvas answered. “Their plane and the samples went down twenty minutes before their scheduled arrival in Manila.”

  “We can’t catch a break, can we?” Dr. Q sighed. “So that means the only existing samples of the infected Stevosaurus are at the Polar Station.”

  “Yes, which makes them our only hope,” Dr. Silvas replied. “The dead students and Professors Stevens and Gayle. I don’t think I need to tell you that the key to all of this is at that Station.” She turned and looked around, making sure no one could hear her. She then got very close to the screen, beckoning the doctor to do the same with her finger. “I don’t know how, but you’ve got to get into that Polar Station. It is of the utmost importance that you discover what is keeping Gayle from getting sick and Alex alive.”

  “Understood.” Dr. Q sat back up. “With all that is happening, I assume you will not be joining us here?”

  “I don’t see how I possibly can. You have everything you need there. The answer is there – you just have to find it. I can serve you and the people of this planet by getting you what you need and trying to contain this disease.”

  “Maria, Sebastian and I did some projections. Has your team estimated what the toll will be if this thing spreads across the globe?”

  “Three-fourths of the world’s population will die. Since it’s crossing species lines, we can’t even estimate the total animal death toll. Some are predicting as high as ninety percent.”

  “That’s about what we estimated. Of almost nine billion people on this planet today, only two point two billion might survive, mostly in rural areas. More than likely cities will be entirely annihilated. With the rodent problem in most large cities, it will be impossible to contain it.”

  “Mother Nature has a way of restoring balance, Lachlan. Once the majority of the people and animals are dust, she will restore herself and this world. Hopefully, this time around mankind will take better care of her.”

  “Well, at least one good thing has come out of this?”

  “What’s that?”

  “The question of what really killed the dinosaurs sixty-five million years ago can be put to rest.”

  “So it has.” Dr. Silva chuckled at the irony. “Good luck, Lachlan. It’s been nice knowing you.”

  “Same here, Maria. Maybe with a little luck, we’ll both survive this and meet again in the future.”

  Dr. Silva didn’t reply. She just smiled. Both knew that the chance of either of them surviving the upcoming apocalypse was minuscule.

  “It sounds like neither Dr. Silvas nor you hold out much hope for the human race,” Ensign O’Neal commented.

  “Not just the human race,” Dr. Q responded.
“Various animals are also dying. If what we expect is true and it is the culprit that killed off life sixty-five million years ago, only about fifteen to twenty percent of the world’s species will likely survive.”

  “Still no idea of what this thing is?”

  “I’m almost positive it’s a virus, but without seeing it I can’t say for sure,” the doctor replied. “Hopefully we’ll have video capability soon, and the professors can get me a glimpse of this nightmare.”

  ‘If it’s any consolation, I heard the computers techs saying they should have the laptop you requested finished by tomorrow. They just have to work out some bugs with the antenna.”

  “That is good news,” Dr. Q stated. “I just hope Professor Dilbert is up to dissecting the specimens I need.”

  “What difference does it make if it’s a virus or a bacteria?” the Ensign asked.

  “The difference between Armageddon and a future. Technically, a virus is not a living organism and, therefore, does not respond to antibiotics.” He saw a confused look on the ensign’s face. “Maybe I can explain it a little better. You see, when a virus invades the body, it kidnaps and invades the cells of our body. It uses the reproductive mechanism of the cell to reproduce itself and, as with this culprit, can spread rapidly. Since the virus is contained within the cell, our body does not see it as a danger. Plus, antibiotics are designed to attack and destroy the outer wall of a bacteria. Since a virus is not living, there is no outer wall for the antibiotics to attack. That’s why we’ve never found a cure for the common cold. Viruses can’t be treated or cured.”

  “Wow,” Ensign O’Neil said. “Sounds like it would be better if you were with the professors instead of confined here.”

  “That, Mr. O’Neal, is probably the understatement of the past century.”

  The ensign leaned very close to the doctor and whispered, “Having almost twenty-four hours of daylight down here is great for taking trips. Add in the fact that everyone is asleep except you and me, I’d say it’s the perfect time for someone like yourself to take the small arctic cat and take a small trip. Maybe even stop to pay the professors a visit.” He reached into his pocket and held up a set of keys. “I can disable the alarms so no one knows you’re gone.”